Rain showers have caused water to rush through Fountain Creek in Manitou Springs’ Fields Park. But even with the high water, the noise can’t overcome the sounds of children engulfing the park on this particular morning.
The children triumphantly march towards the creek, chanting, “We are Ute Pass! Mighty mighty Ute Pass!” They carry with them a bucket of water holding rainbow trout ready to be released into the wild.
The fish in the bucket grew alongside the 6th graders at Ute Pass Elementary in Cascade, last school year. They watched them grow from the tiny, fragile “fry” life-stage, which occurs after they break from their eggs and begin feeding on what they find in the water.
“We kept them in a little container at the top at first,” said 6th grader Ivy Pulos. “And then once they got big enough, we let them into the tank to swim around.”…